Holder for toothbrushes and the like



June 12, 1962 G. VAsBlNDER, 5R 3,038,773

HOLDER FOR TOOTHBRUSHEIS AND THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 29, 1960 INVENTOR George R. Vasbinders.

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ATTORNEYS June 12, 1962 G R. VASBINDER, sR 3,038,773

HOLDER FOR TOOTHBRUSHES AND THE LIKE Filed April 29, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 34 v/ 1 F195. [h 1%).6. 36- 25 29 K \/44 50+? 1 jg 9' 42 4O /47 V 38 2H 22 //l 1/ 0/ r 3 41 51 i4 30 76 INVENTOR T Georgefl Vasblbdez ATTORNEYS.

United States This invention relates to receptacles or article storage devices and more particularly to apparatus for storing toothbrushes and like articles for ready and convenient accessibility.

The present invention provides a plurality of novel receptacle devices and means for holding the individual receptacle devices in such manner that ready access may be had to the contents of any desired receptacle, Furthermore, the individual receptacles are of novel construc tion and provide normally closed article housing means which may be opened in a facile manner to present the housed articles in positions of ready availability for removal and use.

While the principles and teachings of the present invention are not limited thereto, the apparatus of the present invention is aimed particularly at the provision of novel receiving and storing means for toothbrushes for use in bathrooms and the like. In the instance set forth herein by way of example, each individual storage unit or receptacle is arranged to receive and house a pair of toothbrushes, as will presently appear.

In a preferred form of the invention a reel type of holder for a plurality of receptacles is provided, together with ready indexing or locating means for conveniently presenting a desired receptacle in position and in condition for gaining convenient access to the toothbrushes housed therein.

While specific embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in detail in the ensuing specification, it is to be understood that such embodiments are by way example only and that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments thus shown and described nor otherwise than as defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a general front elevational view of one form of the apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 viewed from the left hand end;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view thereof viewed from the right hand end;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of one of the receptacles of the apparatus of FIGS. 1 through 3 shown in an open position;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken approximately on the line V-V of FIG. 1 but on an enlarged scale;

PEG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken approximately on the line VIVI of FIG. 1 on an enlarged scale and with the receptacle in open position;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary enlarged cross sectional view on the line VIIVII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary disassembled perspective view of the right hand reel bearing parts; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a modified form of holder for receptacles of the present invention.

Like characters of reference denote like parts throughout the several figures of the drawing. Referring particularly to FIG. 1, the numeral 10 generally designates a frame member having a base plate 11 and a pair of spaced bearing brackets 12. A reel unit is mounted between the brackets 12 for rotation on a generally hori zontal axis and the reel unit is designated generally by the numeral 13 in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The reel unit 13 supports, in turn, a plurality of receptacle devices designated generally by the numeral 14.

" atent The parts of the present apparatus may, in general, be conveniently molded of plastic material. The reel 13 comprises generally a horizontal shaft 16 having a pair of discs 17 and 18 fixed to the ends thereof as by cementing or the like. The upper ends of the brackets 12 are provided with keyhole slot formations as indicated at 1") in FIG. 8 so that the reel shaft 16 may be dropped thereinto from above. Bearing blocks 2% are then moved inwardly from the outer sides of the brackets 12, whereby crescent-shaped projections 21 on the blocks 20 fit into the upper sides of the enlargements of the keyhole slots 19 and cooperate therewith to complete the formation of circular bearings for the opposite ends of reel shaft 16.

After the bearing blocks 20 have been thus assembled, collars 22 may be cemented to reel shaft 16 immediately outwardly of the bearing blocks 20 to retain the latter against axial displacement. The reel shaft assembly is completed by the provision of a knob 24- which is fixed to the left-hand end of the reel shaft to permit ready manual rotation of the reel assembly.

In the present instance the reel is arranged to accommodate four receptacles and accordingly the left-hand disc 17 is provided with four marginal detent notches 26 and a leaf spring 27 attached to the left-hand bracket 12 is formed to resiliently engage in the detent notches 26 successively to yieldably arrest the reel 13 in any of the four positions thus established. Thus each of the four receptacle devices may be selectively presented in a predetermined position of convenient access.

Each of the receptacles 14 comprises an elongate generally rectangular box device, one of which is shown in detail in FIGS 4, 5 and 6. Each box device comprises a rigid body portion including a bottom wall 30, a rear wall 31 and end walls 32. The top and front walls designated 33 and 34 respectively are movably mounted with respect to the body portion of the receptacle, as will now be described.

The top member 33 is pivotally supported between the end walls 32 for movement about a generally central longitudinal axis, as indicated at 35, the closed and open positions being clearly shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, respec tively. An upwardly projecting manipulating arm 36 is attached for pivotal movement with top member 33 for manually moving cover member 33 to open position.

Front wall member 34 is pivoted between end walls 32 as at 38 and it will be noted that the pivots 38 are forwardly of the wall member 34 when the latter is in closed position, so that wall member 34 is normally retained in closed position by gravity. A pair of links or rocker arms 40 are pivoted to the box proper interiorly thereof at opposite ends as at 41 and the outer ends of the links 40 are pivoted in slots 42 in flanges 43 formed at the interior surface of front wall members 34, as at 44. The top cover member 33 is provided with a pair of downwardly projecting arms 46 which are pivoted in slots 47 formed in links 40.

It is believed that the operation of the foregoing link and slot mechanism is clear from a consideration of FIGS. 5 and 6. Rearward movement of manipulating arm 36 from the position of FIG. 5 to the position of FIG. 6 which directly moves top member 33 to open position also pivots front wall member 34 forwardly through the intervention of arms 46, links 40 and the pivotal connection in the slots of flanges 43.

Top cover member 33 is provided with a pair of spaced hook forming members 50 for receiving the handle portion of a toothbrush with the bristle portion thereof projecting downwardly when cover member 33 is in closed position. Front wall member 34 is provided with a pair of hook-like members 51 which similarly receive the handle portion of a toothbrush with the bristles thereof projecting rearwardly when the receptacle is in closed 3 position. The toothbrush retaining hook members and 51 are best illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.

The several receptacles 14 are suspended between the discs 17 and 18 of the reel 13 by pivotal means so that they normally maintain upright positions under the force of gravity. Each reel, in the present instance, is provided with four inwardly projecting pins and each end of each of the receptacles 14 is provided externally with an inverted U-shaped block 56. In assembled position the blocks 56 rest upon the several pins 55, as appears from FIG. 2, and the pivots thus formed are substantially above the centers of gravity of the receptacles 14 so that the latter depend therefrom, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

When a given receptacle is in a position wherein ac cess thereto is desired, it is advantageous that the receptacle be held against swinging movement so that movement of the manual arm 36 to open the receptacle does not swing the entire receptacle on its pivotal mounting. To this end reel 18 is provided with a detent pin 60 for each receptacle 14, which detent pin is normally urged to the right, as seen in FIG. 7, by a compression coil spring 61, so that a snap ring 62 on pin 60 engages a boss 63 on reel 18.

When a given receptacle 14 moves into the discharge position, which is the position of the uppermost receptacles 14 in FIGS. 2 and 3, the detent pin associated with the particular receptacle is urged to the left, as viewed in FIG. 7, by engagement with a cam formation 65 provided on an arm 66 which projects upwardly from the right-hand bracket 12, as shown in FIG. 3.

This moves pin 60 to the left as viewed in FIG. 7 where it is projected into an opening 63 in the right-hand end wall 32 of the receptacle. It will be noted, by reference to FIG. 2, that each receptacle 14 is provided with an opening 68 in vertical alinement With the U-shaped bearing member 56 and thus a receptacle at the upper discharge position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is held against pivotal movement while the receptacle is in such position by engagement of pin 60 in the opening 68 of the particular receptacle 14.

The apparatus is so arranged that an opening 68 of receptacle 14 registers with a retaining pin 60 Whenever the detent leaf spring 27 is in detaining engagement with the corresponding notch 26 of the disc 17.

A simplified holder for a pair of the receptacles 14 previously described is illustrated in FIG. 9 and comprises a pair of end walls and 76 and bottom and rear connecting walls 77 and '78. The facing surfaces of the end Walls 75 and 76 are provided with vertically extending lugs or projections 79 and 80 over which the inverted U-shaped bearing members 56 of the receptacles are fitted. In this instance the pair'of receptacles 14, while readily removable for cleaning or the like, are normally held rigidly in proper vertical position merely by cooperation of the lugs 79 and 8% with the external inverted U-shaped bearing formations 56 of the receptacles 14. Of course the holder of FIG. 9 may be arranged to receive any desired number of receptacles 14.

I claim:

1. Storage apparatus for articles such as toothbrushes, a reel rotatable on a horizontal axis and comprising a pair of discoidal end members, a plurality of horizontally elongated receptacles pivoted between said end members to maintain a predetermined orientation by gravity force during rotation of said reel, means acting between a reel end member and any of said receptacles when such receptacle is brought to a predetermined position by rotation of said reel for retaining said receptacle against pivotal movement while said receptacle is in such predetermined position, each of said receptacles having a body portion and top and front wall portions pivoted thereto along longitudinal axis generally parallel to the reel axis, and means interconnecting said pivotal wall portions for joint pivotal movement to render the contents of the receptacle accessible.

2. Storage apparatus for articles such as toothbrushes, a reel rotatable on a horizontal axis, a plurality of horizontally elongated receptacles horizontally pivoted to said reel to maintain a predetermined orientation of said receptacles by gravity force during rotation of said reel, and means acting between said reel and each of said receptacles when such receptacle is brought to a predetermined position by rotation of said reel for retaining said receptacle against pivotal movement while said receptacle is in such predetermined position, each of said receptacles having a body portion and top and front wall portions pivoted thereto along longitudinal axes generally parallel to the reel axis, and means interconnecting said pivoted wall portions for joint pivotal movement to render the contents of the receptacle accessible.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 478,566 Caspar July 12, 1892 616,763 Belville Dec. 27, 1898 1,030,898 Langdale July 2, 1912 1,891,802 Drew Dec. 20, 1932 2,077,975 Wolff Apr. 20, 1937 2,378,114 Van Donk June 12, 1945 2,600,345 Venditti June 10, 1952 2,646,891 Morgan July 28, 1953 2,857,230 Soldat Oct. 21, 1958 

